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It’s late when she crawls into her hotel bed, An already happily snoring away. She settles into her covers with a small, happy sigh; she’s exhausted. Touring Eagle Music, as well as getting to sing in one of their studios was extremely fun, though tiring. Experiencing such a professional studio first hand, alongside getting to use their equipment was extremely exciting; the equipment at WEEKEND GARAGE is well loved, worn through years of usage. Old technology holds up well against time, though the newest equipment can elevate their sound even higher than she’s used to.
She clicks off her nightlamp, then watches her screen light up moments after. With a yawn, she opens it to check the notification.
Shinonome-kun (˶˃𐃷˂˶)
>srry to bother ya so late
>can ya talk?
Kohane ⪩ •⩊• ⪨
yes, should we keep texting or meet outside our rooms?<
is something wrong?(;‘• - •`; )<
Shinonome-kun (˶˃𐃷˂˶)
>outside
>toyas somehow asleep
>dont wanna wake him
>and id rather talk face to face
Kohane ⪩ •⩊• ⪨
i’ll be out in a moment then!<
Shinonome-kun (˶˃𐃷˂˶)
>thanks
That seems to have been it for now, so she puts her phone down and slips back out of bed. She quickly pulls a jacket over her pajamas, grabs her phone and keycard, slides on her slippers and tiptoes outside.
Akito’s closing the door when she peeks out of her room. She quickly joins him, quietly closing the door behind her.
“K’hane,” he murmurs sleepily. “Let’s talk somewhere else.” Akito heads towards the elevator, and she follows behind him. He presses the button for the rooftop patio, and they ride up in silence. He leaves the elevator and walks up to the railing, leaning heavily against it.
She follows after, looking out at the city. Despite how far away they are, it almost feels like Tokyo; New York doesn’t sleep, either, bathed in neon light. The only stars visible are the lights shining through windows, overpowering the night sky.
“What’s the matter?” She looks at Akito, whose face is set in a deep frown, uncertainty hiding right below it.
“Ya felt it too, right?” Akito’s eyes are desperate as they look her up and down. “That weird feelin’, back at the studio. I’m not goin’ crazy, right?”
Her eyes widen. After she finished singing, the staff’s eyes on her felt weird; even though she got praised, something felt off about the interaction. She wasn’t sure if it’s just her imagination, though, so she brushed it off.
“Yes. I finished singing, and got praised by the staff but… it felt off, for some reason,” she admits. It’s relieving to know she didn’t imagine it like she thought; if Akito experienced something similar, then something has to be up.
“Yeah. When y’were in the booth, they were talkin’ ‘bout our contract with Record No.9, and the atmosphere felt so… weird, I guess. Thought I was makin’ shit up, but then I saw ya face after you were done, an’ I knew ya felt it too.” Akito exhales in relief, slumping a little against the railing. “We keep hearin’ warnings to not get too close, from Elena an’ Ken-san, but all of ‘em were pleasant today, nothin’ like the stories we heard.”
Elena’s angry, desperate pleas to stay away from him, as well as Taiga-san’s harsh, standoffish demeanor when talking with DG… it all sets off alarm bells in her head. That, as well as the odd, almost dangerous atmosphere in the studio…
“We should be careful.” It’s like Ken-san said. Maintain a good relationship, don’t get too close. Hopefully, nothing bad will happen.
“Yeah. ‘S gonna sound stupid, but… ‘m worried. He’s a sponsor, ain’t he? If the rumors are true, then…” Akito trails off briefly. “He has the power to meddle. I don’t wanna assume he’d stoop so low, but there ain’t a guarantee.” Akito avoids her gaze, anxiously picking at his nails.
“It’s not stupid. Elena-san did say that he’s ruthless, that he’ll kick down other musicians for his own gain.” A shiver runs down her spine. “We have to stay in his good graces, somehow.”
“Yeah. Dunno how we’re gonna do that, tho. They ain’t happy with our contract with Alan-san,” Akito mutters bitterly. “Think we’re screwed.”
“Don’t say that.” She frowns. “We’re going to take the world with our singing, no matter what.” She lighly bumps his shoulder with hers. It’s scary, to end up in the middle of this, in an unfamiliar environment, but they just have to do what they always do and push ahead.
“I know,” Akito sighs, rubbing his neck. “Fuck, this sucks. Surpassin’ RAD WEEKEND was simpler. There weren’t any,” Akito gestures with his hand vaguely. “Any bullshit like this. It was hard, but simple.”
“I get it,” she assures. “But we’re going to stand on that stage and take the world for ourselves.”
“We will.” Akito looks at her, the corner of his lips pulled up a little. “Right, sorry for keepin’ ya up. Let’s talk more in the mornin’, an’ also fill Toya an’ An in.” Akito yawns wide as soon as he’s done speaking.
“Hehe, no worries. I’m happy you asked me, because I wasn’t sure, either.” She pulls away from the railing. “Let’s go back to bed before you fall asleep here.”
“Oi.” Akito elbows her lighly, offering her a small, soft smile. “Thanks, though. We just gotta stay careful.”
Akito moves away from the railing, too, then stretches his arms over his head as he heads back for the elevator. She follows, quickly pressing the button for their floor, and they ride down together. Moments later, they’re already on their floor.
“Sleep well, Kohane.” Akito offers her a small wave as he takes out his keycard and unlocks his door.
“Good night.” She pats her pockets for her own keycard, then unlocks the door and slips back in.
An-chan’s still fast asleep, blissfully unaware of anything. She quickly settles back into bed, covering herself up and looking back at An-chan. The conversation with Akito weighs heavy in her mind, both relieving and worrying. She’s not alone, she’s not the only one who noticed the weird atmosphere, but DG’s person only raises concern, mystery swirling around him. Who’s in the right? Illys, Ken-san and Taiga-san all seemed wary of him, though Embers seemed much more positive. DG himself, as well as his staff, were kind during their tour, even if the atmosphere was odd at times.
She turns around. At this rate, her night will be shorter than she’d like. She needs to be at her full power to get through RUSH BEATS and come out on top.